EL SEGUNDO, CA — Since he was selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the third round (84th overall) of the 2009 National Hockey League Entry Draft, many have kept an anxious eye on defenseman prospect Nicolas Deslauriers, because he had the size, strength, skating ability, and more—he already looked like he had many of the necessary attributes—maybe even the complete package—of the prototypical NHL-caliber defenseman.

But the 22-year-old, 6-1, 214-pound native of LaSalle, Quebec had one hitch in his game: defensive zone play was a rather foreign concept to him, but that was not necessarily his fault. After all, he played his major junior hockey in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, which has a reputation for run-and-gun, fire wagon hockey, with little defense.

EL SEGUNDO, CA — On September 15, when the Los Angeles Kings played split squad pre-season games against the Phoenix Coyotes, one at Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Arizona, and the other at Staples Center in Los Angeles, there was a moment when just about everyone at Staples Center was asking, “who’s that guy?”

Fast forward to September 17, when the Kings skated at Anaheim in their third pre-season contest of the 2013-14 season, and once again, many were asking that same question.

Indeed, “that guy” deftly split two defenders to skate in on a breakaway against the Coyotes, and “that guy” scored a nifty goal off the rush at Anaheim.

EL SEGUNDO, CA — With Anze Kopitar, Mike Richards and Jarret Stoll secure in their positions as the Los Angeles Kings’ top three centers, there is no room for a highly-skilled, young center prospect on the big club’s 2013-14 roster.

But even with that knowledge, Jordan Weal, who was selected by the Kings in the third round of the 2010 National Hockey League Entry Draft (70th overall), has turned some heads during the Kings’ recent Rookie Camp, and now, during their 2013-14 Training Camp.

Both coaches and media alike have noticed Weal’s ability to carry the puck, his shot, and his speed. But there is an underlying reason why these aspects of his game are being noticed more this time around.

EL SEGUNDO, CA — Patrik Bartosak stopped 25 shots, and Nick Shore scored the game-winning goal at 7:58 of the second period to lead the Los Angeles Kings rookies to a 3-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks rookies at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo, California on September 9.

With the win, the Kings rookies swept the two-game rookie tournament, having won on September 8 in Anaheim 6-1.

That interview was an eye opener due to Kozun displaying a maturity level that the media covering the Kings had never seen before, and that lack of maturity earlier in the 23-year-old’s career had proven to be a big obstacle in his path towards advancement.

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